Automatic water gate operator



July 23, 1,940. B. H. KOOKEN 2.209',124

AUTOMATIC WATER GATE OPERATOR I Filed May 20, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventpr B. H. Kook EN A iiomeys July 23, 1940. B. H. KOOKEN AUTOMATIC WATER GATE OPERATOR Filed May 20, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 B. H. KooKEN,

Attorneys July 23, 1940.

B. H. KOOKEN 22,09,124

AUTOMATIC WATER GATE OPERATOR Filed May 20, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 In ven for B. H. KQQKE N,

Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED s'rm'lz's bF C AUTOMATIC. WATER GATE OPERATOR; I

Benjamin H. Kookemvraaan;wash; Application Ma eo, 1939, Serial Nb. 27.4;82'7 3Claims; 3(01. ia'zg-llsr i This invention relates to irrigation-systems of the overhead sprinkler type, and among the objects of the invention arethe provision of means for using the full flow of water on various sections at regular and shorter intervals thus providing a greater benefit of the land irrigated; to conserve the water in comparisonwith the presentmethod of ditching which has proven so destructive and wasteful; and to irrigate more economically. 1

The invention together with its objects .and advantages will be best understood from a study of the following description takenin connection with. the accompanying drawingswhereinz- Figure 1 is a side elevational .view illustrating the application of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view taken substantially on the line 2.--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view, and Figure 4 is a detail view partly in section and partly in elevation illustrating certain details hereinafter more fully referred to.

Referring more in detail ,to the drawings it will be seen that the water supply pipes of the irrigation system are indicated by thereference numerals 22-22. g Rising fromthe supply pipes 22, in accordance with the present invention, are stand pipes 3-3. At the lower ends thereof the stand pipes 3 ex- 90 tend into the water supply pipes 22 and are positively secured to the water supply pipes 22 through the medium of clamps 2-2 of any suitable construction.

Also, extending between the clamps 2 and secured at the ends thereof to the clamps in any suitable manner is a brace rod I.-

Also the stand pipes 3-3 are braced with respect to one another through the medium of cross braces 44.

Disposed between the stand pipes 3-3 above the braces 4-4 is a cross-bar 5 while secured to the upper ends of the stand pipes 3 and extending between said stand pipes is a. cross-bar l2.

Extending between the cross-bars 5 and I2 in parallelism with the stand pipes 3 are guide rods lll I.

The rods ll cooperate with the stand pipes 3 for guiding in vertical movement, water receptacles or buckets 99.

Each bucket 9 is provided at diametrically opposite sides thereof with guide rings [3 and M, the series of rings 13 on each bucket slidably embracing a guide rod l l, and the series of rings I4 on each bucket slidably embracing a stand pipe 3 as shown.

Each of the buckets 9 is provided in the bottom thereof with a:.drain openinglcontrolled by" a ball check-valve 1' accommodated within a cage? 8 provided withini; the bucket at. the bottom thereof .and. integral with the bottom of the 6 bucket. a '1 3 For each ball checkevalve I there is mounted on the cross-bar 5 an upwardly extending valve: displacement stud orpin 9; 'as also clearly shown in Figure .4. It. wi1l-thus;.be seen' that as a water 10 bucket'or receptacle 9-v moves-downwardly the ballvalveil willbe engagedby'athe displacement stud 6 causing the ball 1 to unseat and thus perunit the water in: the lowered receptacle 9 to drain therefrom, 1

.;Arrang ed-in' each-,watersupply pipe, 22 are vertically-slidable gate valves 2| and the valves 2l,,of :each pairare1connected by;-a rod 23.

H A, bucket or receptacle, 9 is provided for each pair. of gate valves so that'as one of the buckets 20 9-moves downwardly in response to the weight of, the water therein,-that pair of gate valves willbeloweredto closed position. As one'of the buckets-moves downwardly to so close one pair o f gate valves the other; bucket, from which the 5 water has drained; will move upwardly for causin the gate valves connected therewith to move up into open position.

The invention further includes a rocker-arm I! that is pivoted as at 18 to a relatively short 30 standard l9 secured to and rising from the upper cross-bar l2. At the ends thereof the rocker arm I! is provided with lug-equipped caps 20, and each cap 20 is connected to a series of guide rings l4 associated with a bucket 9 through the 35 medium of a link 24 that is pivotally connected tov a rod 25 that in turn is secured to the rings I4 as shown.

Also each cap 29 is connected with a pair of gate valves 2| through the medium of rods 26. o

At the upper end thereof each stand pipe 3. is provided with a faucet 21, and each faucet 21 is set or adjusted to allow sufficient waterto flow into a bucket 9 to cause said bucket to move downwardly. Thus by adjusting each faucet 45 the period of time between the opening and closing movements of each set of gate valves can be regulated and it is necessary to use a pair of valves in each supply line 22, with one valve to one side of the stand pipe 3 and the 50 other valve to the opposite side thereof so as to prevent return water from the nozzle side of the line 22 from flowing back into the stand pipe 3 and then into the bucket which, of course, would interfere with the operation of the device. By 5 having the two'valves 2| each pipe 22 is closed .toa stand pipe 3 at both sides of the stand pipe. As' before described, and as believed to be apparent from the foregoing, as one bucket 9 moves downwardly rocker I! will be caused to rock so as to close thegate valves that are connected with the rocker arm I! at that end of the rocker arm to which the downwardly moving bucket is connected, and at the same time cause the bucket from which the water has drained to raise, and consequently cause the gate valves, connected with the end of the rocker arm to which the lastnamed bucket is connected to move upwardly to open position. Thus it will be seen that as one pair of gate valves is caused tooperr the other of ditching.

..It is thought that a, c1ear understanding1 of the construction utilityand advantages of .an

invention of this character will be hadw'ithout a more detailed description; the invention, inactual practice, and in addition, to being used for land irrigation, may be used with facility for ithe vcontrol of orchard pests such ascodlingmoths,"

red spider, wooly aphis, two-spotted mite, brown mite, and the like by maintaining the trees: ofth'e orchard washed with water continuously, thereby preventing the pests from hatching and working on such trees I -Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is: l I

1. In a device of the class described, a pair of liquid supply pipes, valve means for controlling the supply of liquid to 'each'pipe, vertically movable buckets associated with each pipe, discharge means for each pipe for directing liquid fromeach pipe into a bucket when the valve means of said pipe are opened, means for operating the valvemeansl by vertical movement of a the buckets, a valve controlledoutletin the bot tom of each bucket, means for opening said valve when the bucket reaches its limit of downward movement and means for connecting the buckets together to cause downward movement of the filled bucket to raise theother bucket.

2,, In a device of the class described, a pair of stand pipes, means for connecting said pipes to a supply of liquid, valve means for controlling the flow of liquid to each stand pipe, an upright adjacent each stand pipe, a bucket located between each stand pipe and upright, and guided for vertical movement by said stand pipe and upright, a spigot at the .upper .end of each stand pipe for leading liquid from the stand pipe into the bucket associated therewith, "a valve conward movemenn a rocker bar, meansfor supporting the 's'ame',"means for connecting one end of the bar'to one, bucket, means for connecting it the otherend of the bar to the other bucket, and means for actuating the valve means of the stand pipesby movement {of the bar. for openingisaid valve, means when a bucket is-in raised position and closing said valve meanslwhen'said bucketis in lowered position. "1

stand pipe connected with" each flowlpipe' bee tweenwthe valve'sya verticallymovable bucket locatedadjacentfeacn stand pipe, a faucetat'the: top of each stand pipe for leading liquidfrom.

the stand pipe into the bucket associated therewith, a-valve controlled opening in-the; bottom for connectingthe endsof the bar to the buckets of each bucket, means forzopening said valve of the openingv when "the bucket reaches the limit or: its downward movement, a rocker bar supported for rocking movement above the buckets, means' for causing downward movement o'f'one'bucket? to raise the otherfbucket, and means'for connecting the ends ,o'fthe bar to the first men'tioned valves for' opening said valves in' one flow pipe when the bucket adjacent said flow pipe is in raised position and closing the valves in the other pipes being reversed when the buckets is reversed.

- 1 BENJAMIN H. K OKENQ 

